Commercial driver's guide to operation, safety and licensing

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You are legally responsible to report
any disease or disability that may
interfere with the safe operation of
a motor vehicle to any Alberta
Registry Agent office.
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Alberta Registries can request a
medical report from any driver, in any
licence class, if they have concerns
about a driver’s medical condition.
• A fee is charged for each knowledge
test, road test, and operator’s licence
re-classification. For information
regarding current fees, contact any
Registry Agent office.
• A 10-day waiting period is required
for all non-GDL Class 5, 5-6 and 6
new applicants from other Canadian
jurisdictions who want to re-class to
licence Classes 1 to 4. This waiting
period is required for Alberta to confirm
the applicant’s licence information.
• Driving with the wrong licence class is
against the law. It is also an offence for
a vehicle’s owner to allow the vehicle
to be driven by someone who does not
have the proper class of licence to drive
that vehicle.
Knowledge test
To upgrade an operator’s licence, you will
need to pass a knowledge test for the
class of licence for which you are applying.
You can take your knowledge test at most
Alberta Registry Agent offices. The test is
based on questions taken from this guide
and the Driver’s Guide to Operation, Safety
and Licensing (Cars and Light Trucks)
book. You will be asked about safe driving
practices, driving laws and road signs.
Since Class 1 drivers may operate other
types of vehicles, applicants for a Class 1
licence may be asked questions from the
other chapters in this guide.
The test is 30 multiple choice questions
and you must score a minimum of 25
correct responses out of 30 to pass. When
six questions are answered incorrectly,
the test will be stopped and a fail will be
recorded.
Vision requirements
A vision assessment is required before
upgrading your Alberta operator’s licence.
If you do not meet the minimum vision
standards, you will be referred to an
optometrist or an ophthalmologist to have
a Vision Referral form completed. If you
have corrective glasses or contact lenses
bring them to the vision assessment.
Road test
If you are applying for a commercial
licence in the Class 1, 2 or 3 categories,
you will be required to conduct a pre-trip
inspection in addition to the road test. You
must communicate and demonstrate to
the driver examiner:
• a pre-trip inspection of the vehicle
• the appropriate uncouple/couple
procedures for Class 1 vehicles
• an inspection of the vehicle’s air brake
system for units equipped with
air brakes.
As part of communicating and
demonstrating, you should point to the
things you are inspecting and tell the
examiner what you are looking at. For
example, you could say, “I am checking
the left signal light to see that it is working,
10 A Commercial Driver’s Guide to Operation, Safety and Licensing